cliff negotiations. only 36% trust the "r"s in congress. joining me is nbc chief white house correspondent and political director and host of "the daily rundown," anything else you control around here? >> that's enough. >> and "the washington post's" chris cillizza. i think you've been reupped. you're all over the place. you're the greatest. the absolute best there is in this -- >> let's be careful talking about the president outside the beltway in virginia. >> this is why i want you and chris on. what is the president hoping to get done? what's his time frame? does he believe in the cliff or does he think it's a bungee jump? >> no, he truly believes in the cliff. he has been getting -- and he's getting economic warnings from his own team that say, don't believe the congressional budget office, which is kind of rosy about this, who says it would be a tough 2013 if we went over the cliff but things would get better. he is getting updates saying, no, no, no, we will go into recession. >> therefore, let's g